Waterway Guide vs ICW Navigate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Waterway Guide
This app provides a comprehensive boating resource with a verified database of marinas, anchorages, and navigation alerts. Users can access real-time hazard information, plan trips with a digital handbook, and utilize detailed content optimized for mobile devices. Engage with a community of boaters through comments and reviews.
- Verified points of interest database
- Real-time navigation alerts
- Community comments and reviews
- Skipper's Handbook for trip planning
- Offline content access
- Marina filtering by amenities
Read full descriptionHide full description
Optimized for your mobile devices with Waterway Guide's detailed and verified points of interest database. Includes over 1.3 million data points on marinas, anchorages, navigation alerts, free docks, bridges and locks displayed on the embedded map or satellite view. Benefit from the experience of 75 years of publishing and hundreds of thousands of active boaters through verified comments and reviews. Share your comments, add points of interest, earn rewards and engage with others from within the app. Stay informed with the latest hazards to navigation reported real time from USCG, government agencies, local experts and boaters everywhere. Plan your time on the water with Waterway Guide's Skipper's Handbook, which is included with the free app download. Access Waterway Guide's library of books as individual chapters or entire guides for the information and details you need for navigation. Content is optimized for mobile devices and can be bookmarked for availability offline. Easily find marinas that fit your needs. Filter our entire database of marinas based on amenities and your preferences. Same functionality as Waterway Guide’s Marinas App. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
ICW Navigate
This marine navigation app is designed for Florida's Intracoastal Waterway, offering NOAA charts, tide data, weather forecasts, and a unique water safety rating. It provides essential tools for boaters to plan and execute safe journeys along the coast.
- NOAA nautical charts
- Real-time tide intelligence
- Marine weather forecasting
- Exclusive Water Safety Rating
- Turn-by-turn route navigation (Premium)
- Saved waypoints and routes (Premium)
- Apple Watch app and widgets (Premium)
Read full descriptionHide full description
ITC Navigate — Built for Florida's Intracoastal Waterway. The best of every marine navigation app I've used over the years, combined into one simple, easy-to-use app — you'll love it! ITC Navigate is the definitive marine navigation app for Florida boaters. Purpose-built for the 1,350 miles of protected coastal waterways from Fernandina Beach to Key West, it combines official NOAA nautical charts, real-time tide intelligence, marine weather forecasting, and our exclusive Water Safety Rating in one beautifully designed app. ITC Navigate is FREE to download. Core conditions — the Water Safety Rating, tides, marine weather, and music — are free to everyone, supported by a small banner ad. ITC Navigate Premium unlocks the full navigation experience and removes ads for $0.99/month or $9.99/year. WHAT PREMIUM UNLOCKS • Turn-by-turn route navigation with the on-water HUD • Your own saved waypoints and waypoint sequences • The boater community — shared waypoints and tracks • The Apple Watch app • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • An ad-free experience OFFICIAL NOAA NAUTICAL CHARTS • Authoritative NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) • Continuously updated chart data direct from NOAA • Depth soundings, buoys, and aids to navigation • Florida ICW channel geometry highlighted for easy following EXCLUSIVE WATER SAFETY RATING (FREE) A proprietary composite score blending wave height, wind, precipitation, tidal stage, and pressure trend into a single, glanceable percentage — plus a 24-hour forecast rating so you can plan ahead. PRECISION NAVIGATION (PREMIUM) • Real-time GPS with speed (SOG), course (COG), and heading • Persistent navigation HUD: bearing, distance, ETA • Cross-track error indicator with off-route haptic alerts • Pre-loaded ICW waypoints, mile markers, bridges, fuel docks, and anchorages • GPX import and export; long-press to drop waypoints anywhere TIDES & WATER CONDITIONS (FREE) • Auto-selects nearest NOAA CO-OPS tide station • Visual tide curve and 10-day high/low predictions • Current tidal stage and countdown to next event • Live water temperature, air temperature, wind, and pressure MARINE WEATHER FORECAST (FREE) • 10-day daily and 24-hour hourly forecasts • Wave height and swell forecasting • Precipitation probability timeline • Barometric pressure trends • Sunrise and sunset times with countdown APPLE WATCH & WIDGETS (PREMIUM) • Apple Watch app with Water Rating, tide times, wind, and sunset • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • Siri shortcuts: "What's the water rating?" and "When's the next high tide?" MUSIC INTEGRATION (FREE) Stream your Apple Music library and playlists while you navigate, with a persistent mini-player on every screen. OFFLINE READY • Download NOAA charts for offline use • Cached tide predictions work without signal • iCloud sync for waypoints and routes across your devices SAFETY NOTICE ITC Navigate is a navigation aid. Always carry official NOAA paper charts as backup and follow all USCG regulations. The Water Safety Rating is advisory only — always exercise your own judgment based on vessel, experience, and conditions. ITC Navigate Premium is an auto-renewable subscription ($0.99/month or $9.99/year). Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Waterway Guide at 52% against ICW Navigate's 0%. Waterway Guide also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.0) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Waterway Guide sells 43 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and ICW Navigate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Waterway Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waterway Guide has 2.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Waterway Guide's written reviews are positive against 0% of ICW Navigate's.
Waterway Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, ICW Navigate fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Waterway Guide | ICW Navigate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.9K ratings) — better | 2.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.9K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #197 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Waterway Guide | BassTech Consulting Group |
Customer experience
Waterway Guide
ICW Navigate
Bugs and requests
Waterway Guide
Reported bugs
4 issues- App not working with latest iOS version
- Subscription purchases not working properly
- Unable to access purchased content
- Frequent crashes and errors
Requested features
4 requests- Provide vertical bridge clearances
- Improve offline functionality
- Enhance search and filtering options
- Implement dark mode
ICW Navigate
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Waterway Guide
- Chesapeake Bay Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.2$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.6$4.991 Year
Show 40 moreShow fewer
- Southern Ch.6$4.991 Year
- Southern Bridges & Locks$4.991 Year
- Bahamas Cruising Guide$4.991 Year
- Florida Keys Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Gulf IWW Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.10$4.991 Year
- Gulf IWW Ch.1$4.991 Year
- Western Gulf Coast Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Southern Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Western Gulf Coast Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW East Coast Inlets$4.991 Year
- Northern Ch.12$4.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.7$4.991 Year
- Northern Ch.11$4.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.7$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.9$4.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.2$4.991 Year
- Northern Ch.1$14.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.8$14.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.6$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.13$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.10$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.12$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.3$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.11$14.991 Year
- Anchorages Along the ICW$20.991 Year
- Bahamas Bound$20.991 Year
- ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423$29.991 Year
- Northern Edition$49.991 Year
- 1st Ed. Bahamas Land and Sea$49.991 Year
- Chesapeake Bay Edition$54.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Edition$54.991 Year
- Southern Edition$54.991 Year
- Bahamas Edition$54.991 Year
- Western Gulf Coast Edition$54.991 Year
- Florida Keys Edition$54.991 Year
- Great Lakes Volume 1 Edition$54.991 Year
- Great Lakes Volume 2 Edition$54.991 Year
- Cuba Edition$59.991 Year
ICW Navigate
- ICW Navigate Premium$0.991 Month
- ICW Navigate Premium$9.991 Year
Questions
Is Waterway Guide free?
Is ICW Navigate free?
Which has better reviews, Waterway Guide or ICW Navigate?
Do Waterway Guide or ICW Navigate have ads?
Which is updated more often, Waterway Guide or ICW Navigate?
Other comparisons















